The Forgotten Child
by Nine Blades
Summary: Naruto is five at the time of the Kyuubi attack. Instead of him being the container of the fox, his little brother & sister are. Ignored by his parents in favor of the twins, Naruto is forced to grow ups by himself. Making friends along the way that help him grow, Naruto becomes a shinobi that his parents would be proud of. But first they need to notice him. Minato & Kushina alive.
1. The Day it All Changed

**Hey everyone! welcome to the story!**

**Naruto is property of Kishimoto. **

* * *

It was the day everything changed. Flames burned through the village and buildings turned into mountains of ash. Shinobi leaped through the air to attack the great Kyuubi that has attacked the village. Inside the village, behind the brave men and women still fighting the beast, were the people who could not fight. Parents ran with their children to the shelters as young gennins checked the still standing buildings for anyone who has yet to evacuate. Near the Hokage monument, etched with the faces of the Hokage, both old and new, the younger ninja gathered, waiting for their orders. Behind them stood the shell-shocked faces of civilians and the tear-stained faces of the children, watching their homes burn.

In that group, was none other than Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze himself. He was the eldest son of their villages beloved leader, the Fourth Hokage. He was a small boy, only five years of age, dressed in toad covered pajamas. his spiky, sun-kissed blonde hair drooped down to cover his tired, fright-filled sapphire eyes. In his hands he held his favorite toy, Gama-chan. It was a stuffed frog, about half the size of the boy holding it with yellow strips on the sides, cutting through his light red hide. Currently, Naruto's thoughts went to his Mother, who was giving birth to twins, and his Father, who was probably fighting the giant fox by now.

"What do you mean we have to stay back here?" a female voice yelled out in front of him. He looked at the group of shinobi gathered in front of them. The girl who yelled was near the front of the group. From what he could tell, she had long, raven hair that went down to her shoulder with a bun near the top of her head. "We're Shinobi too, why aren't we allowed to go to the front?"

The man in front of her shook his head sadly. "You all are the next generation," he answered loudly. "It is your duty to watch over this village in our place. We cannot allow you all to head off to your deaths until it is absolutely necessary." With that, he turned around and left for the battle. The Shinobi, now left on guard duty, walked through the crowd of civilians to make sure they were unhurt.

Naruto seeing a familiar face, though not much of it, called out to him. "Kakashi-nii!" The cyclops, hearing his sensei's child voice walked over to him to make sure he was okay.  
"Hey Naruto," he said in a bored tone. "What's wrong?" The man was obviously young, probably in his mid-teens. He wore a face mask that covered the lower part of his face while his headband covered his left eye. His gravity defying silver hair and his right eye were the only features you could see.

"Are Kaa-san and Tou-san going to be alright?" the young Naruto asked the man.  
Ruffling his hair, Kakashi gave an eye smile to the young one before replying. " Don't worry about your Tou-san, Naruto, he's the Hokage for a reason. And your Kaa-san is almost as strong as he is," he said comforting the blonde.

"But what about the twins?" Naruto asked. He knew he was getting two siblings, he just didn't know the genders.

Still smiling, Kakashi replied, "Don't worry, they'll be fine too."

* * *

On the battle field, things were not looking good. The field outside the gates were littered with dead bodies, blood, and weapons. The few survivors left valiantly fought on.  
"Where the hell is the Hokage!" one of shinobi yelled before being roasted by the Kyuubi's fire.

Not long after the man was burned to a crisp, a giant toad fell on top of the fox. The orange toad was almost as big as the fox with red markings all over his body. Wearing a blue jacket and tanto, he looked like a true toad boss. On his head were two people, each holding a bundle in their arms.

"Minato, I still don't think this is a good idea. Why can't we just put all the chakra in one child and leave the other untouched?" the first person asked. She was a tall woman with long, flowing red hair that framed her round face. On closer inspection, the bundle in her arms was a young child with wisps of red hair.

"It wouldn't work Kushina," the second person said. "With all that chakra, it would be safer to seal the yang chakra in one and the yin chakra in the other." This man was a little taller than Kushina with wild blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. Wrapped around his forehead was the leaf headband. Dress in a white trench coat with flames on the bottom, this man would be easily identified as Minato Namikaze, Current Hokage of Konoha. The bundle in his hands was also a child, only this one had wisps of blonde hair.

As they finished, they felt a rumbling underneath them. Soon, Gamabunta was launched into the air by the Kyuubi. As soon as he fixed himself, he fired multiple water bullets only to have them blocked by Kyuubi's nine tails. After the Kyuubi blocked the attack, it started charging up a big ball of chakra. Seeing that it could end bad if he let that hit, he quickly used his Hiraishin to teleport it away.

Sensing someone behind them, Minato quickly pulled out one of his kunia and turned around to see his prediseccor, Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was an old man with many wrinkles and dressed in all black. "I hope you have a plan Minato," he said calmly. "Otherwise we're all doomed."

Minato nodded sadly. "Yes, I do have a plan. I'm going to seal the Kyuubi's Chakra into the twins using the Shiki Fuin," he said with all the resolve he could muster.

Hiruzen's eyes widened at hearing this. "But Minato, that will kill you!" he yelled. "Let me do it instead, the village needs you more than it needs an old man like myself."

Minato shook his head. "Sorry Jiji, but I need to do-" he was cut off when Hiruzen chopped him in the back of the neck, knocking him out cold. Catching the child in his arms before he hit the ground, he turned to Kushina.

"I will do the sealing, which one have you two decided on," he said solemnly. He hated himself for damning a child to this sort of life, but they didn't have much choice.  
"Minato and I decided we would split the chakra into two pieces, the yin chakra and the yang chakra, and seal them into the two separately," Kushina said with grief clear in her voice. She hated herself for what she was about to do, and no reasoning would make it better.

Nodding, Hiruzen jumped to the ground with both children, and with some nearby blood, wrote out the seals around the children for the sealing. When he finished, he went through the necessary hand seals before yelling "SHIKI FUIN!" Suddenly, he felt a cold object enter his stomach. Nodding to Kushina, who wrapped the Kyuubi in Chakra Chains, Hiruzen ran at the great beast and grabbed hold of it, allowing the Death God behind him to grab it also. As he finished extracting the soul and charkra, he stumbled over to the two children, went through more hands and transferred half the chakra to the blonde child, and then half to the redhead. Falling to the ground, Hiruzen Sarutobi left this world with a sad smile on his face.

* * *

After the battle, the first thing Naruto did was run as fast as he could towards the hospital to see his mother and father. Naturally, Kakashi went with him to keep him out of trouble.

Arriving at the Hospital, the nurse quickly guided them to the room his parents were in. Entering the room, Naruto saw his mother in one bed, holding two children, and his father was on the other bed passed out.

Walking over to his mother he asked her, "What happened to Tou-san?"

Giving him a sad smile, she said to him, "Don't worry about him, he's just tired from the fight." Looking at the two bundles sleeping in her hands she smiled at Naruto and asked him, "Do you want to see your baby brother and sister?" Seeing him nod, she slightly shifted the child with red hair for Naruto to see better. "This is your little brother, Masato," she said as she adjusted the blonde child. "This here is your little sister, Kaori."


	2. A needed friend

**Naruto is property of Kishimoto, not me. Oh how a man can dream.**

* * *

It has been a years since the Kyuubi attack. The village was rebuilt but some of the people were still broken.

After a year of being with the twins, Naruto noticed a growing distance between himself and his parents. Even on his own birthday, they only spent a bit of time with him.

As he walking through the house with a book he got from the library on chakra, Naruto heard his baby siblings squealing with joy from the living room. Looking in, he noticed his mother was playing with the twins.

The two have grown over the year. Masato's red hair has lengthened over the years. Now instead of the little scruff on his head, his hair was starting to spike up like his brother's and father's. Kaori's blonde hair was now down to her ears and was, for the most part, perfectly straight. Both have learned how to walk quickly and had even more energy than Naruto did. They were also starting to get whisker marks. While they had them while they were babies, they were faint and hard to see. Now they were more defined.

Walking up to his mother with the book, Naruto asked her if she could read it to him since he couldn't understand most of it. "Sorry sochi," she replied, never looking up from the twins. "I'm busy with these two right now. How about you ask your Tou-san, he should be in his office," she suggested, never seeing the sad look on his face.

As he walked to his father's office, he nodded to the ANBU he knew were hidden in the hallway before knocking on the door to his father's office. After hearing the brief "Come in," from his father, Naruto entered the room and saw his father signing paperwork. Looking up from it, he saw his son with a book in his hands. "Hello Naruto, what can I do for you?" he asked with a smile.

Naruto held the book up to him and said, "I got this at the library today Tou-san, can you read it to me?"

Minato thought it over his schedule for a minute. 'Let's see, I have a meeting with Council in twenty minutes, a speech to give at the academy in an hour, and I promised Kushi-chan I would watch over the twins once I was done so she could rest,' he thought before sighing. "Sorry Naruto," he said with an apologetic smile on his face. "I have a full schedule today." Seeing the sad look on his face, Minato quickly added, "Mabye I'll read it to you tomorrow."

Naruto gave a faked smiled and left the office. Leaving the house, Naruto walked through the streets towards the nearby park. Finding an empty bench, Naruto took the book and started reading it, or at least he tried. Sighing he closed the book and leaned back. "Kuso, this is so frustrating," he said.

"Now don't let your mother hear you say that," a female voice said teasingly. Looking towards the source of the voice, he saw his mother's best friend Mikoto Uchiha. In her arms was her one year old child Sasuke, who was playing with her raven hair. Walking next to her was her middle child, Kazumi. Kazumi was tall for someone who was almost five years old, and her hair was almost as long as her mother's. With the same angelic face as her mother, but with her father's eyes, she would obviously be a beauty in the future.

"Oh, hi Mikoto-san, Kazumi-chan," Naruto said smiling. He and Kazumi have been friends for the past year when they met at this very park a few weeks after the Kyuubi attack. Seeing the smile directed at her, Kazumi smiled warmly back.

Taking a seat next to Naruto with Kazumi right next to her, Mikoto picked up the book he was reading before smiling at him. "So, you're planning on becoming a Shinobi Naruto?" she asked him.

Nodding his head Naruto gave a giant smile before yelling out, "That's right, I'm gonna be the greatest ninja there ever was!" Mikoto smiled at his dream while Kazumi gave a short laugh. "What's so funny Kazumi?" he asked, glaring at her playfully.

"Oh nothing," she replied casually. "Just that you'll have to settle for second best because I'm going to become the greatest ninja ever."

Growling at her, Naruto shouted out, "No, I'll be the greatest!"

Getting into his face, she shouted back, "No, I'll be!"

Back and forth it went until Mikoto slapped the back of Kazumi's head lightly, knocking her forehead against his, or at least that was her plan.

Naruto a Kazumi froze, wide-eyed, at seeing that Mikoto had knocked Kazumi's lips onto Naruto's so that they were kissing. Covering her mouth with her hand that wasn't holding Sasuke, Mikoto giggled before saying in a slightly amused voice, "Oh my, aren't you two forward." She laughed as Sasuke stopped playing with Mikoto's hair and looked at the two. "Oh my," he repeated in his little kid voice, which just made things funnier for Mikoto.

Finally reviving enough brain cells to pull away from the blonde, Kazumi wiped her lips with her sleeve before glaring at Mikoto. "KAA-CHAN!" she screamed at the woman. "WHAT WAS THAT!" She yelled as baby Sasuke started clapping.

"Well you two were yelling so I figured that should've quieted you," Mikoto said, still smiling at the two. "Now get up here so I can read you two this book."  
Climbing onto the bench on either side Mikoto handed Sasuke to Kazumi and he resumed playing with his favorite thing, hair.

"Chakra is essential for even the most basic techniques," Mikoto read from the book. "It is the moulding of physical energy and spiritual energy. Once moulded, It can be channeled through the Chakra Pathways, which are much like your blood veins, to any of the 361 chakra points on the body. Any questions so far?" she asked them.  
"What's physical and spiritual energy?" Naruto asked.

"Physical energy is present in every cell in your body. It's also helped by your physical strength. Spiritual energy is gained through experience and exercising the mind," Mikoto answered.

"Is there anyway to see chakra without a dojutsu?" Kazumi asked.  
Mikoto nodded. "Some well-skilled sensors can 'see' chakra by feeling it. Other than that, the only way is if it's an elemental justu they're using or someone is charging a lot of it, which in that case, you should run," Mikoto answered. "Now back to the book."  
After reading half the book to the two, she looked at the sky to see that the sun was going down. "Well you two, maybe we can continue this tomorrow," Mikoto said to the children. Naruto got up and stretched his stiff muscles while Kazumi handed baby Sasuke, who had fallen asleep, back to their mother. As she did, she whispered something in Mikoto's ear who nodded.

"Hey Naruto-kun," Kazumi said to him. "Whould you like to come over to the compound for dinner tonight? Afterwards we can go train with Itachi-nee."

"Naruto thought it over before quickly nodding. "I'll have to tell my parents though," he said as he headed home. "I'll see you guys there!" he called back as he left the park.


	3. The Perfect Rival

**I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Heading off to home with a smile on his face, Naruto thought of all the fun he, Kazumi, and Itach could have. Walking inside, Naruto quickly smelled food cooking and headed towards the kitchen. Seeing his dad starting dinner while the twins sat at the table, Naruto walked up to his father.

"Hey tou-san," he started. "Can I go and have dinner at with Kazumi-chan?"

Not looking up from the food, Minato nodded to his request. "Sure thing Naruto," Minato said smiling. "Go spend time with your girlfriend."

Remembering the kiss at the park, Naruto blushed a deep red before shouting out, "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" he shouted out.

Minato frowned while rubbing his ear. "Not so loud Naruto, your Kaa-chan is sleeping," he reprimanded Naruto.

Naruto nodded before heading outside. "I'm heading to the Uchiha Compound now Tou-san," Naruto said as he headed out the door. As he walked towards the Uchiha compound, that was on the other side of the village, many villagers smiled and nodded to him as he passed by. Walking past Ichiraku's Ramen stand, his favorite spot in the village, Naruto saw a young girl with medium length brown hair kept in place by a white bandana come out of the shop. "Naruto-kun!" she called out, waving to him. Naruto waved back and headed over to the stand.

"Hey Ayame-chan," Naruto replied once he got over.

Inside the stand, a middle-aged man was cooking ramen. With his grey hair hidden under a white cap and a thin face with laugh lines around his mouth, the Ramen Chef looked like the nicest man ever.

"Hey Naruto, are you here for some ramen?" Teuchi asked him. Seeing the shake his head no, he looked at Naruto shocked. "You don't want any ramen?" he asked.

"Sorry Teuchi-jiji, I promised Kazumi-chan I would have dinner at the Uchiha Compound," Naruto explained, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Teuchi laughed at hearing this. "Alright Naruto," Teuchi said with a smile. "Now go on and have dinner with your girlfriend," he said, laughing again at Naruto's blush.  
Turning around and heading out, Naruto yelled out, "She's not my girlfriend!" before heading for the Uchiha compound.

Getting back to work on the ramen, Teuchi noticed the pout on his daughter's face. "Aw, is my little Ayame jealous of Kazumi?" he asked her teasingly. Seeing her glare at him, he gave another laugh before going to work.

* * *

Arriving at the Uchiha compound, Naruto walked through the streets until he reached the main house. Knocking on the door, it was soon opened by Kazumi.

"Hey Naruto-kun," she said excitedly. "I'm glad you could make it." Bringing him inside, Naruto took in the scenery of the house. It was a traditional Japanese home with sliding paper doors and an open-air porch. Following Kazumi, they soon arrived at the dining room. Sitting at the head of the low table sat Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the Uchiha Clan. To his left sat his son Itachi and Mikoto was on Fugaku's right. In a baby chair next to Mikoto was baby Sasuke, already playing with his meal.

As Kazumi took a seat opposite her father, Naruto nodded his head to Fugaku. "Thank you for allowing me over," Naruto said politely

Fugaku shook his head with a small smile. "Don't worry about it, my door is always open to my daughter's boyfriend," he said smiling.

Taking a seat between Itachi and Kazumi, Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a small smile. "You're the third person to say that to me now," Naruto said. Then looking over at Kazumi, he had a wicked idea and quickly kissed her cheek, getting a blush out of her and a grin from Mikoto. "Everyone's been calling you my girlfriend today."

Also getting a wicked idea, Kazumi gave a small smile before adding, "Who knows, we might get married one day."

At this, poor Fugaku was taking a sip of his drink when he heard this. Hearing the word 'married' come out of his daughter's mouth along with 'we' made him nearly choke on his drink. "I don't think you two should talk about that right now," Fugaku said once he managed to calm himself.

Unknown to everyone, baby Sasuke managed to get out of his chair and was crawling over to Naruto and Kazumi. Grabbing both of their pinkies, he pulled them together and locked them. "Nawuto and Kazume maweed," baby Sasuke said, remembering a word he heard his sister say.

At this, Fugaku went into the hurdle position and cried anime tears. "Why do they grow up so fast?" he mumbled to himself.

Mikoto, on the other hand, smiled at the action of her youngest. "Now you two," she began, pointing at Naruto and Kazumi with a playful glare. "I'm to young to be called Baa-chan, understand? No funny business," she stated jokingly.

Deciding to end the joking, Itachi picked up Sasuke and brought him over to his chair. This time, Mikoto kept an even closer eye on him to make sure he didn't get into trouble. "Well everyone," Mikoto said to the group. "Time to eat!"

* * *

When they finished eating, Naruto Itachi and Kazumi walked through the Uchiha District. Though the sun was set, the roads were well lite, so they didn't have a problem. After walking in relative silence, Naruto decided to start a conversation.

"So Itachi, are you gonna join the Academy?" Naruto asked. Seeing him nod, Naruto stopped and gave him a thumbs up. "Then lets hope that we will be on the same team," Naruto said.

Giving a small smirk, Itachi nodded his head. "Yes, let us hope," he said before finishing. "After all, the worlds greatest ninja will need strong comrades."

Smirking back, Naruto took a step forwards and looked him in the eye. "Yea, I am gonna need strong comrades if I'm gonna be worlds greatest," Naruto said confidently.

Taking a step forwards and also looking him the eye, Itachi smirk grew as he said, "I didn't mean you dobe, I ment I would be the greatest."

Thinking a fight was gonna break out, Kazumi tried to cool things down. "Hey you two, either one of you could be the greatest ever, but why fight over that now? Why not wait until you're stronger," she said, hoping it calmed them down. Some-how, she knew it didn't. Mabye it was the fact that they grabbed each other's collars and went face to face.

Looking into each other's eyes, they both saw pure confidence and will to go on. Letting go of each other at the same time, they threw their fists out, connecting them in the middle.

"You are a worthy rival," Naruto said to Itachi, the smirk still not leaving his face.

"As are you," Itachi replied, his smirk not leaving either.

"We are now rivals," Naruto started.

"Forever fated to fight and surpass each other," Itachi finished.

"When one of us takes a step forward," Naruto said as he clasped Itachi's hand in a shake.

"The other takes two," Itachi finished as he returned the shake. "We will be the most greatest of friends,"

"Yet the most hated of enemies," Naruto let go of Itachi's hand as he turned around. "See ya next time teme."

"See you later dobe," Itachi replied.

As Naruto left the compound, Kazumi turned to Itachi. "What was that about Itach-nii?" she asked him, honestly confused about what just happened.

Also turning around and heading home, Itachi said to her as he walked, "I just became best friends with your boyfriend," before entering the main house.

* * *

**Hope you liked the chapter everyone. **


	4. Art of Seals

**Hey everyone. Here's the next chapter of The Forgotten Child. Just an early warning, I might not be able to update for a while since I am making some changes to the first three chapters. Enjoy the story**

**Naruto is not owned by me. Kishimoto owns Naruto and all characters. Except OC's. They are mine.**

* * *

Ever since the meeting between Naruto and Itachi, both have doing their best to get stronger. Itachi so that he could stay ahead of Naruto, and Naruto so he could surpass Itachi. As soon as Naruto finished learning about chakra, he decided he would try to learn Fuinjustsu. Knowing that his parents were considered masters of it, he decided to ask them.

Walking into the living room where his mother usually was with the twins, he saw her feeding the two their lunch. "Kaa-san," Naruto said, walking up to her. "Can you teach me Fuinjustu?" he asked her.

Shaking her head sadly, yet never looking up from the twins, she replied to him,"Sorry sochi, I promised Hitomi-chan I would bring the twins over later. Mabye some other time. How about you ask your Tou-san to teach you? He was a little better than me in anyways."

Nodding his head, Naruto ran up the steps to his father's office, again nodding at the hidden ANBU. After he knocked on the door and heard a "come in" from the other side, Naruto opened the door and ran up to his father's desk. "Hey Tou-san," Naruto said excitedly. "Can you teach me Fuinjustu?"

Never looking up from the documents he was signing, he sighed before replying. "Sorry Naruto, I got a tight schedule today," he replied before reaching into one of his desk draws and pulling out a large scroll. "Here," Minato said as he handed the scroll over. "That's a scroll on basic sealing."

Taking the scroll with a nod, Naruto quickly left the house and headed towards the Uchiha Compound. Walking up to the main house, he knocked on the door. When Mikoto opened it and saw Naruto standing in front of the door she smiled warmly at him. "Hello Naruto, are you here to see Kazumi?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep!" he said excitedly as he held up the scroll. "I got a scroll on sealing from Tou-san and wanted to practice with Kazumi."

Nodding her head, she pointed out towards the woods behind the compound. "She went back there to the Clan's training site with Itachi," she answered. Seeing him nod and run off she smiled and went back to playing with Sasuke.

* * *

Arriving at the training ground of the Uchiha clan, Naruto quickly saw Itachi teaching Kazumi handsigns for a justu. Running out of the trees, he yelled out, "Hey Kazumi-chan, look what I got!"

Turning towards him, Kazumi smiled at him. "What's that Naruto-kun?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Yea dobe, what is it?" Itachi asked with a small grin.

"I got a scroll on sealing from my dad!" he said, holding out the scroll his dad gave him. "I figured me and Kazumi could learn it together, but since you're here teme, I'll guess you can join in."

Smirking, Itachi joined the two around the scroll as Naruto opened it. Looking over it, Kazumi and Itachi quickly became confused.

"I don't understand any of this," Kazumi said with a sigh.

"I don't either," Itachi said reluctantly, hating he hadto admit he was stumped in front of his rival.

"This is actuall pretty easy," Naruto said smirking at Itachi. "In your face teme!" Naruto shouted at him, before he raised an eyebrow as he watched Itachi pull out a piece of paper. "What's that?" Naruto asked.

"A trade," Itachi said simply. "This is called chakra paper. By channeling chakra into it, it will tell you your elemental affinity," he explained. "You teach me help me with Fuinjustu, I'll help you with elemental manipulation, deal?" he asked.

Thinking it over, Naruto snatched the paper from Itachi. "Sure thing," he responded. Having learned how to channel chakra a little after Mikoto finished reading him and Kazumi the book on chakra, Naruto didn't have much problems activating the card. Seeing the card split in two with both sides crumbling to dust. Not understanding what it meant, he turned to Itachi for an explanation.

"The cut on the paper shows you have a wind element, while the two sides turning to dust mean that you also have an earth element," Itachi explained. "Sadly though, I'm have a fire and water affinity, so I won't be of much help. But I think tou-san knows someone who's a wind user," Itachi added.

Sighing, Naruto turned back to the scroll. "Well, the first part basically talks about the requirements for Fuinjustu. For example, neat hand writing is a must, otherwise it could blow up in your face," he explained simply. Seeing the two were paying attention, he continued. "There is no such thing as a master of Fuinjustu, because there is no final technique that is unable to be beat. Fuinjustu is limitless. The only limit on it, is the human part."

The three continued to learn the basics of Fuinjustu until the sun set. Saying his goodbyes, Naruto left for home.

* * *

As Naruto walked home, he decided to stop at Ichiraku's Ramen Bar for dinner since he probably missed dinner at home anyways. Walking in, he noticed Teuchi look up from the stove he was using to cook. "Hey there Naruto, haven't seen you in a while," he said with a smile.

Ayame ran out of the back room when she heard her father mention her friend's name. "Hey Naruto-kun," she said happily as she sat next to him. "Why haven't you come to visit me as often es you used to?" She asked with a small pout.

"Sorry Ayame, the I'm going to be joining the Academy in three years so I've training for it," he replied apologetically as scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Oh nothing much," she replied with a small smile. "Tou-san has been teaching me how to cook ramen, though I'm not allowed to cook it yet."

"That's awsome Ayame-chan!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically. "Who knows, mabye you'll be even batter than Teuchi-jiji."

Teuchi, who was currently cooking ramen for the blonde, looked up and gave a short laugh. "Belive me boy, she's fifty years to young to out-cook me," he said with a smile. "Though mabye she'll come close one day," he added.

"Just you wait Tou-san, I'll show how awesome I'll be!" Ayame called out.

Naruto just sat in his stool with a small smile as he watched the two. Soon his ramen was ready and he quickly ate it. Saying his goodbye's, he quickly headed home for the night. With just the two of them there, Ayame turned towards her father. "Tou-san, do you think I can become a shinobi?" she asked suddenly.

Teuchi stiffened slightly at her question but quickly relaxed. "If you set your mind to it, I'm sure you can," he said with a sad smile.

* * *

Later that night

Teuchi walked into his room after a long day of working. Walking over to the small closet, he pulled out a box he hasn't opened in years. Opening it up, he pulled out a picture frame. Inside was a picture of three young boys with a middle aged man. The man had long white hair that framed the side of his tanned face and had red lines going vertically across his eyes. The boy closest to the man had sun-kissed hair and sparkling blue eyes. The boy in the middle of three had black hair that was pulled into a pony tail and with bangs that framed his pale face. Finally was the boy on far left. He was a tanned child with grey hair cut very short.

As Teuchi looked at the picture, a tear rolled down his cheek. That was him back in his gennin days. Him, Minato and Hisoka with their jonin sensei Jiraiya. Pulling out his old Chunin flask jacket and head band as well, he looked over the three objects he never thought he would see again. "Who knows, mabye she won't be as unlucky as me," he said with a sad smile.


	5. Assassins in the Night

A now eight year old Naruto ran through the streets on his way to the Uchiha District. Meeting up has become a daily rutine for him, Kazumi, and Itachi. As he ran, he noticed Ayame stepping out of her dad's Ramen Bar. Seeing her in running clothes, Naruto smiled, remembering what she told him a few month's back.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto decided to stop at Ichiraku's Ramen after a tough day of training. Walking into the stand, Naruto quickly noticed Ayame wasn't there like usual.

"Hey Teuchi-jiji, where's Ayame?" Naruto asked him as Teuchi cooked the ramen.

Teuchi looked up from the ramen and was about to answer when Ayame stepped in. "Hey tou-san, I'm back," she said to him. She wore a light brown track suit that clung loosely to her body allowing free movements. Instead of the regular white bandana she used to hold her hair in place, she wore a tan skull cap with to hold it in place. With sweat glistening on her brow, she headed into the back room to head upstairs.

"She decided to become a shinobi," Teuchi explained to Naruto as he went back to his cooking. "Can you promise me something Naruto?" Teuchi asked, never looking up from the stove. "If Ayame graduates from the Academy and you two are on the same team, please look after her," he finished with sadness in his voice.

"Don't worry Teuchi, I'll look after her," Naruto replied with confidence in his voice. "As long as I'm on her squad, I'll make sure she's fine."

Giving a sad smile, Teuchi placed one of the finished ramens in front of Naruto. "Then this one is on the house," he said, getting back to the rest.

* * *

** End Flashback **

Walking up to her, Naruto decided to invite her to join him. "Hey Ayame-chan, want to join me and the others for training?" he asked when he got to her.

"Are you sure, I'm not really that great," she said as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I might hold you guys back."

"Don't worry about it Ayame-chan," Naruto said as he grabbed her hand and started draggin g her towards the training grounds they used. "You'll be just fine."

"A-a-are you sure?" she asked with a small blush a stutter at him holding her hand.

"I'm sure," Naruto stated as he continued dragging her along.

"You know I can walk right?" she asked after a while.

"Yep," he said as he continued to drag her.

* * *

Arriving at the training ground, Naruto and Ayame saw Kazumi and Itachi setting up the target launcher while Mikoto held Sasuke as he watched. Sasuke has grown over the two years, and his raven hair started to spike in the back. Dressed in his dark blue shirt with a high collar and white pants, he watched the two with confusion, not sure what was going on.

"Hey guys, I'm here!" Naruto yelled out once he got into the clearing with Ayame. "Sorry I'm late,"

"What took you so long!?" Kazumi asked as hse walked over to him. "Me and Itachi-nii had to set everything up ourselves," she said as he poked him in the chest. "And who's this?" she asked once she noticed Ayame standing behind him.

"Hi, I'm Ayame Ichiraku, a friend of Naruto's," she explained while giving a polite bow.

"Okay, so what are you doing here?" she asked, not trying to be rude, but when some random girl just shows up with Naruto, she'd be damned before she made things easy for them.

"I invited her to train with us. She wants to be a ninja like us, so I figured why not invite her," Naruto stated, completely oblivious as usual. "So teme, is it ready?" Naruto asked Itachi as he walked over to the three.

"Don't worry dobe, I got the launcher up and running just fine," Itachi replied with a smirk. "I also put on those reenforcment seals you gave me," he added.

"Good," Naruto replied. "Now we don't have to worry about takeing them apart." As he looked over at the area where the two set up the launcher, Naruto cracked his knuckled with a small smirk. "Well than, let's get started. You know how to use a kunai, right Ayame-chan?" Naruto asked her. Seeing her nod, Naruto walked up to the starting position. "Okay Mikoto, launch them!" he yelled as Mikoto, who moved over to the launcher while they were talking, pulled the lever on the launcher sending several round targets across the clearing.

Taking careful aim, Naruto threw his kunia at the targets as they flew by. Hearing the, thunk, of metal hitting wood, Naruto knew he hit at least hit them. As they landed, he ran over to the fallen targets and examined them. "All hit!" he yelled back. "Two bullseyes out of seven, another four close, but the last hit the side."

As Naruto walked back with his targets, Itachi stepped towards the starting spot. "Watch how it's done dobe," Itachi said as he readied his kunai. "Ready when you are Kaa-chan!" he called out. Seeing the targets fly, he threw his kunai. Also hearing a thunk, he smirked as he followed where they flew. "All targets hit!" Itachi called back. "Three bullseyes, three close, and one on the end."

Walking to the same spot as the two before her did, Kazumi took her position and watched Itachi walk behind with his targets held in his hands. Taking a deep breath, she called out to Mikoto to begin. Seeing the wooden wheels fly through the air, she launched her kunai to hit them. Hearing a thunk, she realeased a breath she didn't know she held. Following them as they fell she kneeled down to inspect the targets. "Five hits of seven!" she called back. "One had three kunai in it. Three bullseyes, three barely missing, one on the side," she said loudly as hse walked back and Ayame stepped up.

Readying her kunai, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. 'Come on Ayame!' she mentally screamed. 'You can do this!' giving Mikoto the okay, she watched as the targets cut through the air. Throwing the kunai as fast as she could, she gave a silent prayer before she heard the dull ,thunk, of the kunais hitting to where they landed, Ayame quickly assesed the targets. " Four targets hit out of seven!" she called to them. "No bullseyes but two are on the line. One is close and the last is on the edge. One nicked the target but the rest missed," she said sadly.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked back and saw Naruto giving her a warm smile. "Don't worry to much about it Ayame," he said. "It's pretty good for your first time with moving targets. I'm sure you'll do better next time."

Giving a small smile, Ayame stood up with her targets and headed back to the group.

"Pretty good for a first shot," Itachi commented as she got back. "Better than you dobe," he added with a smirk.

"Beginner's luck," Kazumi mumbled as she remembered her first time. She wasn't even half as good as Ayame was.

* * *

For the rest of the day, the group practiced their kunai and shuriken throwing, stopping halfway through for lunch. As the sun was starting to set, the group sat around one of the trees resting. Nearby, a smiling Mikoto held a sleeping Sasuke as she watched the group. Truth be told, she was grateful for Naruto coming over two years ago. Before that, Itachi was mostly focused on his training and had little time for anything else. Now, with a rival in Naruto, he still trained hard, but he spent more time with his family and friends. With Ayame now added to the group, Kazumi had a rival of her own to contend with as well.

Back with the group, the four were starting to get up after their rest.

"Hey Naruto-kun, Ayame," Kazumi said, catching both's attention. "How about you two stay for dinner tonight?" she asked them.

"Sorry Kazumi-chan," Naruto said apologetically. "I promised Tou-san I would watch over the twins for him and Kaa-san."

"Sorry, I can't either," Ayame said. "I promised my Tou-san I would help close up the shop tonight."

"Oh, okay. How about tomorrow than," Kazumi suggested. Seeing both nod, she gave a small smile. "Okay, see you two tomorrow than."

* * *

As Naruto walked into the house, he was assaulted by two small objects. Said objects clung to him as he was hit and nearly knocked over. "Hey you two," Naruto said with a smile. "What's the big idea trying to tackle me, huh?"

"Naruto-nii!" two voices yelled out at him. Looking down, Naruto saw the happy faces of Masato and Kaori.

Kaori had grown over the years. Her blonde hair had grown down so it now went to the small of her back. Two smaller bangs framed the sides of her face and her violet eyes. She was dressed in a violet skirt topped with a white short sleeve shirt. Masato had also grown. His red hair spiked up even more, making him have to wear a bandana around his forehead to keep it out of his cerulean blue eyes. He was currently wearing a pair of kaki shorts and a blue sleeveless shirt with a red toad on the back.

Ruffling their hair, getting a pout from Kaori and a grin from Masato, he gave them a big smile. "Hey there guys. Looks like it's just us for tonight," he said. As the twins got off his legs, he walked into the house with them following him. "Did you guys have dinner yet?" he asked them. Seeing them shake their heads no, he changed his directions to the kitchen. "Well, I can't cook," Naruto said as he opened the fridge. "But I can make us some sandwiches."

After the dinner and some games, Naruto took the two upstairs. "Come on you two, it's getting late. Time for you to go to bed," he said as he practically dragged the two upstairs. As he walked towards the first room, which belonged to Kaori, a strange feeling of dread came over him. A feeling like something bad was about to happen. Opening the door, he realized what it was.

Sitting on the windowsill, twirling a kunai around their finger, sat a person dressed in all black with no headband or other identifying objects to tell where they were from. The only part of him that was visible were his dark brown eyes. "About time you brats showed up. I was starting to get bored," they said in a gruff male voice. "I was about to go down there and kill while you were screwing around." Grabbing the kunai from it's twirl, he stood up and looked at the three children. "Now I can finally finish this damn mission."

"Naruto-nii, who's that?" Kaori asked as she hid behind him along with Masato. "Why is he in my room?"

Giving a small smile, Naruto said to his younger siblings, "Don't worry about that you two. Just go and visit Sasuke for now. I'll handle this." Never taking his eyes off the ninja in front of him, he slipped his hand into his kunai holster. "I'll head over when the two of us are done." Nodding, the two ran down the stairs and out the house.

Unknown to everyone, Naruto was slowly pushing chakra into the communication seal he, Itachi, and Kazumi had.

* * *

**Uchiha District**

Itachi and Kazumi sat stunned as they heard what was happening through their seals. As Itachi's and Kazumi's eyes met, determination and worry were displayed accordingly.

"What are we going to do Itachi-nii?" Kazumi asked frantically. "Tou-san's at work and Kaa-chan's out shopping. How are we going to help?" As Kazumi was freaking out at the thought of losing her friend and, though she wouldn't admit it to anyone, crush, Itachi was calm and had already thought threw the problem.

"Kazumi, go to Tou-san and tell him what happened. I'll go help Naruto," Itachi said as he headed towards the door. "Remember Kazumi, the two of us may be able to hold out for a bit, but we won't be able to hold out for long. Be sure to hurry," he said and left the house in a dead sprint.

Meanwhile, Kazumi was getting heading towards the Military Police station to get Fugaku. "Please be there, please be there," she repeated over and over again as she ran. She just hoped that if he was there, she was fast enough to arrive before it was to late.

* * *

Back at the Namikaze house, Naruto and the assassin were having a stair off. After a few seconds, the man started laughing. "You honestly think you can beat me kid?" he asked in between fits of laughter. "I'm a damn Jonin, what can some snot-nosed brat do against me!"

Giving a small smirk, Naruto pulled out the kunai he was holding and got in a defensive position. "I don't have to beat you, I just have to hold you off until the twins get to safety," he said, his smirk never leaving his face.

"Don't get cocky brat," the masked man said as he charged the young blonde, intent on finishing him off. Seeing the charge, Naruto quickly rolled backwards so he was now outside the room and launched off the wall so he was out of the way. Seeing an opening, Naruto lowered his kunai and charged the man as fast as his chakra infused legs would take him.

Sadly, he wasn't fast enough. As soon as the man saw the blonde charging, he threw the kunai at him to distract him and twisted his body so the kunai missed him. "Nice try brat," the man said as he grabbed the collar of Naruto's shirt and pulled out another kunai. "It looks like you didn't last long enough." Raising the kunai, he channeled a little bit of his lightning chakra into it as he swung down, intent on cutting the blonde in two.

Seeing the swing, Naruto tried his best to move out of the way, but only succeeded at repositioning the point that the blade would hit. Feeling a pulse of electricity go through his system, and hearing the, squelch, of skin giving way to flesh, and flesh giving way to bone, Naruto screamed as a thud echoed through the house.

Looking down at the floor, one could see the bleeding mass of flesh that used to be Naruto's left arm.

This was the scene Itachi saw as he ran up the stairs to help his friend/rival.

"Naruto," he muttered as he watched blood flow from the hole where Naruto's arm once was, staining his shirt scarlet. Suddenly, he felt a tingling in his eyes. Paying no attention to it, Itachi charged the man as he pulled two kunai from his holsters. Seeing his friend be thrown to the side and the blood stained kunai leveled at him, he didn't hesitate for a moment as he charged the man. Seeing the thrust as though it was in slow motion, Itachi stepped to the side at the last possible second and thrusted his own kunai at the man.

Little did Itachi know, he had just awoken his Sharingan.

The man dodged the strikes with practiced ease, even if he was surprised that the brat just dodged his attack so easily. He was about to retaliate until a kunai lodged into his arm. Turning towards where it came from, he was met with a pair of red eyes with three comma like structured spinning around the black pupil.

As Itachi watched the man fall over unconscious, he turned to the man that did it. Before him stood Fugaku Uchiha, and he was not pleased.

Seeing that they were safe, Itachi turned back to his friend and ran over towards him. Ripping off one of his sleeves, Itachi wrapped it around the now armless stump, if you could even call it that, to try and staunch the bleeding. Seeing it wasn't working, he ripped off the other one to try and help. Seeing that wasn't working either, he turned around to Fugaku, who was busy tying up the assassin.

"Tou-san, he needs help!" Itachi yelled as he applied pressure to the wound, praying to every Deity he could think of that it would work. "Damnit Naruto, don't give up now," he muttered to more himself than to Naruto.

Hearing the urgency in his sons voice, he ran over to Naruto and saw the state he was in. Picking him up, he turned to Itachi who, for once in his life, didn't know what to do. "Hand me his arm Itachi," he said sternly. Grabbing it and resting it on Naruto's body, he turned around to run towards the hospital when he yelled back to his son. "Head towards the compound and watch over the twins. There might be more assassins in the village," he said as he ran off.


	6. Fallen Hard

Three days have passed since the assassination attempt. No other assassins were found during the sweep of the village. During those three days, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze stayed in the hospital in an unconscious state. During his stay, the only people who visited him were his family and friends. Currently, Minato Namikaze was sitting next to his son, replaying over and over what the nurse told him two days ago in his head.

* * *

**Flashback**

Minato Namikaze has just arrived at the hospital with his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, walking in right behind him. The first thing they noticed was the oldest son laying in the hospital bed, a crimson soaked bandage wrapped around where his left arm should have been. Looking over to the nurse that was in the room, Minato asked her frantically, "What happened to him?" He had gotten the details from Fugaku minutes before, but he wanted to hear the extent of the damage from a professional. Mean while, Kushina walked over to her son's side and held his good hand, silent tears falling from her eyes.

"The only major injuries he received from the battle was the severed arm. It was a clean cut, but the lightning he surged through the blade fried his nervous system through the entire arm and shoulder making it nearly impossible to fix. Sadly, Tsunade would be the only person that could possibly save it, but by the time she is found and brought back, it would be to late," she stated sadly. "He won't be able to be shinobi."

Hearing the news, Minato collapsed into the chair, shell-shocked at the news. He cursed himself for sending the ANBU home early. He hated himself for leaving his kids home all alone. He thought it would be fine, that they would be safe.

* * *

**Flashback End**

He should have known better.

He and Kushina had many enemies. Between Kumo and Iwa alone, he could count over thirty important people that could send assassins after him and his family and hated him enough to do just that. He made a mistake and now his son was suffering for it. Soon the door behind him opened.

Looking back, he saw one of the elders and an old teammate of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura enter the room. With bandages wrapped around most of his face and his right arm crippled, most people would mark him off as unthreatening.

Most people would be wrong. Despite his appearance, this man was still as dangerous as he was in his time as Tobirama's, the Nidaime Hokage, bodyguard.

Walking into the room, aided by his cane, he pulled up a seat and sat down next to Minato. "You should give up on him," Danzo said simply, not beating around the bush. He never did that. He was like a good spear, straight to the point. "He's useless as a shinobi, and with you being the strongest of the village, it would look bad for both you and Konoha as a whole if one of your children were weak," he clarified at the end.

Minato sat there, staring at his eldest child. "He almost died, trying to protect his younger brother and sister," Minato said after a period of silence. "If it wasn't for Itachi and Fugaku, he just might have died, too. How can I abandon him after all he has done Danzo. He almost ended up like Sarutobi. Dyeing to protect what was precious to him. If he was your son, would you abandon him?" Minato asked as he looked the man next to him in the eye.

Without a second of hesitation, Danzo nodded his head in affirmative. "If I was in your position, I would. I would hide him away from the world, or maybe cut all ties with him all together. I would make sure the other villages didn't learn of this. The strongest shinobi of the so-called, 'Strongest Nation,' siring a weak, crippled child would make us seem weak. Add to the fact that the strongest kunoichi in our village is the mother would make it even worse," he said as he stood up and walked through the door before he stopped. Never looking over his shoulder, he added, "They will also see him as an easy way to get to you," and left.

Thinking over what Danzo said, Minato had to admit, though he hated himself for it, that he had some valid points. Some of the other four Great Nations would take this as a sign of weakness and capitalize on it, and he would bet his hat and robes that all of them would try and take him out to hurt him. Placing a hand on his eldests' hand and giving it a tight squeeze, he whispered, "I'm sorry son," and walked out the room.

As he closed the door, he stood there, hands in his pockets and sighed. "It's not nice to eavesdrop Fugaku," Minato said, never turning towards the man leaning against wall next to Naruto's room, arms crossed over his chest and a steely look in his eyes.

"I didn't try to, I came to check up on Naruto for the kids, and to tell you that the T&I department isn't getting shit from the assassin. We looked through every Bingo Book and haven't found a trace of him. Inochi even looked inside his mind and found it wiped, blank, empty. Almost as if he was a doll, or a puppet and was being controlled the whole time." he said, never leaving his spot on the wall. "Now then, are you honestly going to go through with what Danzo offered?" he asked the blonde man.

"It's for the best," Minato said sadly. "It's to protect both him and..." he never got to finish because he was quickly slammed against the wall be Fugaku. In less than a second, five sword blades were held at his heart, throat, temple, spine and stomach by the ANBU guarding Minato. With a signal from Minato, they pulled back their blades but kept them ready since Fugaku still hasn't let go of Minato's collar.

"Don't you dare call abandoning him the best thing you can do. If that is true, than you might as well do the same to the twins," he said, letting go of Minato and heading towards the door to Naruto's room. Before he opened the door though he looked back at Minato one last time. "If abandoning your child is the best you can do when they need you the most, then what kind of parent are you?" he asked as he walked into the room.

* * *

**Uchiha District**  
**Two Days Later **

Kasumi quickly shot out of her house and down the street towards the district's exit. She was finally able to get away from Mikoto, who has been trying to keep her and Ayame's minds off of what happened to Naruto. Itachi has, again, submerged himself in his training, making sure he had no time to think about anything else.

As she exited the District, she quickly made another turn and headed towards Ichiraku's Ramen Bar to pick up Ayame. The two decided yesterday that they would see Naruto today and they were going to make sure it happened! Arriving at Ichiraku's, she waved to Ayame, who was standing outside, and jogged over to her.

"Come on Ayame-chan, let's go!" Kazumi yelled as she grabbed Ayame's wrist and started puling her along. Eventually, Ayame found her footing and started running with Kazumi towards the hospital.

When they did get there, they slowed down and checked themselves in to get visitor passes before heading straight towards Naruto's room. Grabbing seats when they got in, they each sat on opposite sides of Naruto, Kazumi on the right, and Ayame on the left.

After a moment of silence between the two girls, Kazumi looked up at Ayame, her teary eyes meeting the same across from her. "It's going to devastate him when he finds out about his arm," Kazumi said as she reached up and grabbed Naruto's hand. "His dream was to be the strongest ninja to ever walk the Elemental Nations. He knew since he was young that he was in his parent's shadows, and since then, that has always been his dream. To step out of their shadows, and be seen by the light. Now though, without his hand, he would be lucky to be a Shinobi at all," she finished as her head fell onto his arm, tears freely falling from her eyes.

She stayed like that for a few minutes until she felt movement underneath her. Looking up with her red-rimmed eyes, she noticed that Naruto was starting to wake up. As he looked up, he noticed the red rimmed, black eyes starring down at him. As he sat up and raised his right hand to wipe away a tear that flowed own her cheek, he suddenly noticed a strange lightness on the left side of his body. Looking over, his eyes widened when he didn't see his arm.

"Kazumi-chan, Ayame-chan, what happened to my arm?" he asked as images assaulted his mind. The assassin in Kazumi's room, him grabbing hold of him, the lightning clad kunai coming down on him, and the agonizing, blinding pain that shot through his left arm.

"The assassin took it off before help could arrive. It was damaged beyond repair and the doctor said it couldn't be saved. It's a miracle that you still have feeling in your left side at all," Kazumi explained, trying to explain what was happening without having sound to bad. She could tell just by looking at him that the news was killing him. His long blonde hair fell in front of his eyes, shadowing them from her sight, but she could notice him squeezing his hand tightly, and the subtle flexing of the muscles around his left shoulder. She wasn't sure why he was doing it, but she guessed he was making sure it was true, and that it was all just some sick joke.

When he did realize that it was true, he fell back onto the hospital bed, empty eyes starring at the ceiling. His dream was gone. Everything has done, preparing for the day it came true, wasted. All of it taken away by one kunai. He gave an empty chuckle, devoid of all humor. Ironic that the thing he was practicing that day was the thing that ended it.

As the three sat in silence, the door opened as Itachi and Fugaku walked in.

Seeing that Naruto was awake, Itachi walked over with a sad smile. "Welcome back Naruto," Itachi said as he pulled up a seat and Fugaku leaned against the wall near the window.. "I thought you weren't ever going to wake up," Itachi joked, trying to lighten the mood. Seeing that it wasn't helping, he quickly decided to shut up.

After a full five minutes of silence, Ayame stood up from her seat. "Come on guys, I think it would be best to let him be alone for a little bit," she said as she walked towards the door. Turning back towards the others and seeing they weren't moving, she gave a low sigh and went back to her seat. If they were going to stay there, then so would she.

After another minute, Naruto finally spoke since the discovery of his missing arm. "Can you guys just give some time alone?" he asked them softly. "I need some time to think," he said, sadness dulling his usually bright blue eyes. As he started to zone out again, a thud was heard as Itachi shot up from his chair, knocking it over in the process. Grabbing Naruto by the front of the hospital gown he wore, he hefted him halfway off the bad so they were face-to-face.

"Damnit!" he yelled as he shook Naruto, shocking both Ayame and Kazumi. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Naruto!" he yelled again, a look more serious then ever seen on his face before today. "The Naruto I know would never let a little flesh wound like that keep him down!"

"He's missing his arm Itachi-nii," Kazumi deadpanned.

Not being deterred in the slightest by his sister's comment, Itachi continued. "The Naruto I know, would stand back up, and become so powerful, he wouldn't need both his hands to take down anyone! He would become so strong, that even though he had one arm, he would be able to fight off someone like Madara Uchiha, or Hashirama Senju!" he finished as he tossed Naruto back down and turned on his heels. "Let me know when that Naruto comes back," he said as he opened the door to the room. Stopping just before he left, he said one last thing to the blond.

"Let me know when my best friend comes back," he said as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

As everyone looked at Naruto, they weren't shocked at what they saw. Naruto was shell-shocked to say the least. Was he really letting this take over him? Was he really letting this, flesh wound, beat him?

As Naruto thought that over, Fugaku decided he would finish what Itachi started. "He's right you know," Fugaku said as he leaned against the wall. "I remember when I first met you Naruto. You were full of life, full of energy, but most of all, full of conviction. You would've taken on the world back then if it meant reaching your dream. Now, you're not even a shell of what you were back then," he said with a sad chuckle. "Are really the boy I remember from two years ago? Are you really the one that was brave enough to kiss Kazumi right in front of me?" he asked, causing Kazumi to blush at the memory and Ayame to glare daggers at her.

As Fugaku got up to follow Naruto he turned to the boy one last time before leaving. "Now get over yourself Naruto, and prove all of these doctors wrong," he said with a hidden smile as he left. Hopefully Ayame and Kazumi would pick up on what they were doing and take over.

As Naruto thought over what the two said to him, Kazumi was focused on something else, or more specifically, Itachi's voice in her head being transmitted from the communication seal on her arm.

"Listen Kazumi, I'm not sure if you picked up on it or not, but Tou-san and I have a plan to get Naruto back on his feet," Itachi said, via seal. "It's like forging a sword with Naruto, Kazumi. I melted him down, Tou-san shaped him, now I need you to cool him down, harden his resolve, and find a way to let Ayame know what she has to do," Itachi said as he cut the connection.

Giving a sigh, Kazumi turned towards Naruto. Seeing that the emptiness in his eyes was gone, Kazumi was beginning to think the plan could work. "They're right you know," Kazumi said to him, getting his attention. " I still remember the first time I met you Naruto," Kazumi said as she remembered the past.

* * *

**Flashback**

It was a few months after the Kyubi attack, and the village was still recovering from the destruction. As a four year old Kazumi walked down the road next to her mother Mikoto, who was carrying a baby Sasuke, she saw a mop of golden blond hair out of the corner of her eye. As she turned, she saw a young boy, probably as old as her big brother Itachi, sitting on a bench next to the nearby park. His sapphire blue eyes were staring at the Hokage Monument behind her and a small smile was etched onto his face. She decided she wanted to meet him. Running over towards the boy, she jumped onto the spot next to him.

"Hi, I'm Kazumi Uchiha," she said as she smiled brightly at him. "What's your name?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze," he said as he returned the smile. "Nice to meet you Kazumi."

"What are you doing out here all alone?" she asked generally curious. He didn't look like an orphan so she assumed he must have one of his parents nearby.

"My tou-san is working right now and Kaa-san was taking my little brother and sister over to the Nara compound," he explained. "And right now, I'm trying to memorize the faces of the people who I'll get stronger than," he added as he jumped up. "That's my dream, to become the strongest shinobi this world has ever known!" At this point Mikoto and Sasuke walked over to the group in time to hear Naruto's exclamation.

Hearing his dream, Kazumi couldn't help but giggle slightly. "You sure do aim big don't you," she said as she smiled at him. Holding out her hand, she gave a beaming smile to him. "Let's be friends Naruto," she said to him.

Naruto smiled back and shook her hand. "Yeah, let's," he said.

Suddenly, baby Sasuke leaned out of Mikoto's arms and put his little hand on top while gurgling happily.

* * *

**Flashback End**

"What happened to that person?" she asked him. "What happened to the boy that swore he would be the stronger than every face on that mountain?" she half-yelled as she pointed towards the Hokage Monument, clearly visible. "What happened to that boy, that wanted to leave the shadows of the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot Habanero?" she asked as she turned to leave. Stopping at the door and turning back for a moment, she saw Naruto's head held down and Ayame watching her leave.

Seeing her chance, she traced on the wall with her finger, 'Your turn,' three times to be sure she understood. Seeing the nod, Kazumi walked out the door and left.

Letting loose a sigh, Ayame stood up, kneeled on the bed, and quickly maneuvered Naruto so his head was now resting her lap. For a moment, Ayame just sat there, combing her fingers through his golden locks. As she looked down, she noted that his eyes showed signs of deep thinking, most likely about what the other three have told him.

"Ayame," Naruto said after a while of silence. "Am I really that pathetic?" he asked her.

"No you're not," she replied gently. "You're just going through a rough time," she said as she tenderly stroked his cheek. "They weren't trying to hurt you Naruto," she explained to him. "They were trying to help you back onto your feet, to help you out of this rough patch. Those three just aren't as good with words as they could be," she said with a small smile.

"Yea, those three are pretty blunt, aren't they?" he added with a small smile of her own.

"Like you can talk," she said giving a small laugh. "You're not exactly mister elegance yourself."

The two shared a laugh at Ayame's comment. Little did they know, though, Itachi, Kazumi and Fugaku sat outside the doorway, also laughing with them.

* * *

The next day, Fugaku could be found heading to his clan's mailroom to see if any letters have arrived for him. When he checked, only one letter was in his box. Inside read,

_Dear Fugaku_  
_ I write this letter to let you know that I am back in business and have cleared any trail that the Royal Guard could have followed. I hope to see you around here soon old friend._

_Signed_  
_Kizan Shima_


	7. Rising Higher Part 1

**Sorry for the very late update everyone. With school starting and Soccer practice I haven't exactly had much free time.**

**Anyways, enjoy the story.**

* * *

Naruto sat in his hospital bed, staring at the wall, his eyes brimming with determination and a hint of anger. Just remembering what happened yesterday left a bitter taste in his mouth. Looking over towards the door, he remembered what happened to get him like this.

Flashback

Naruto was lying in the hospital bed, thinking over everything that the four told him earlier. Ayame had left him about twenty minutes ago, giving him some time to himself for the first time since he has woken up. As he sat there, thinking things over, he heard the door to his room open. Looking over and seeing who it was, he quickly grew a small smile.

"Hey Tou-san," Naruto greeted him with a smile as he walked in. "How are things in the village?" he asked, noticing he wasn't sitting down, but chalking it up to him not being able to be here long because of work.

Minato stood there, looking at his son, looking back at him with his bright blue eyes and a small smile on his face. Minato gathered his resolve for what he was going to say. He was preparing himself to see the smile leave his son's face, and his eyes go dull.

"Naruto," he said sternly, catching his attention. "How could you let that man beat you in your own village?" he asked accusingly. "How could embarrass not only yourself, but Konoha as well by loosing to him? To make matters worse, he crippled you permanently," he said, seeing the smile fade from Naruto's face. "You are weak, pathetic, and, of this instant, no longer a Namikaze." Without waiting for a reply, Minato turned and walked out of the room, never seeing the single tear role down Naruto's face.

Flashback end.

Naruto almost burst into tears at what his father, no, what Minato, said to him. But as he felt that lone tear fall, he swore he wouldn't shed another tear because of that man.  
The only question that truly plagued his mind was why his parents would abandoned him. Sure, his relationship with his parents wasn't perfect before, whose was, but they always showed love to him. Now, they just threw him to the street to fend for himself.

But he would survive. No, he would thrive. He wouldn't give up. That would just be letting that man live. He would become stronger then Minato and Kushina ever were, and then he would become three times stronger. He looked down at the stump of his left arm. First he would have to fix that. He focused all of his chakra into the stump, hoping to force a regeneration, but all he got was a flash of blue light, a slightly singed hospital gown, and a killer migraine.

"Well that didn't work," he mumbled to himself as he tried to shake off the migraine. 'Note to self, forcing out all my chakra is not a good idea,' Naruto thought dejectedly.

As he sat there resting, Fugaku burst through the door with a letter in his hand. "I have good news Naruto," Fugaku said as he took a seat nest to the crippled blond. "A friend of mine has just reopened his shop. He's an expert engineer and his wife is one of their country's leading scientists. They actually found a way to make a prostatic limb that could function like an ordinary arm," he said, getting a hopeful look from the boy. "Bad news is that they live in Yuki no Kuni," he added, slightly cringing when the hope deflated from the boy. "Don't worry though," he added. "I may still be on active duty and won't be able to take you, but Mikoto isn't. She can take you and the kids out to fix it up."

"So I'll be able to get my arm fixed?" Naruto asked, hoping he understood right. Seeing Fugaku nod, Naruto jumped out of the bed happily. "Awesome!" he yelled. "I can be a shinobi again!" As he shot out of bed and to the closet to get his clothes, he turned back to Fugaku. "So when do we leave?" he asked.

"As soon as you get admitted from here," Fugaku said standing up to leave. "And from the looks of things, it won't be to long. I'll head home and tell the others about what's happening. Oh and before I forget, don't tell Minato about where you're going. If he finds out, he will try to stop all of you," Fugaku added before he left the room, a warning look adorning his face.

As the door closed, Naruto, quickly threw on his clothes, which was easier said then done considering he was a limb short, and bolted out the door and towards the bottom floor. As he hit ground level, he realized something he should have previously known. He would have to stop home to get his stuff.

Sure he didn't really care what that bastard Minato thought about him stopping by, but he didn't want Masato and Kaori to see the two fight. Sighing in resignation, another problem crossed his mind. Where would he stay? He was sure that Kazumi and Itachi would offer him a room at their home and he was sure Fugaku and Mikoto would agree, but he didn't want to intrude on them. Ayame and Teuchi would allow probably insist he stay with them, but again, he didn't want to intrude on them.

Also, where would he get money. He had only saved up a few hundred ryo, so he couldn't exactly buy enough food to feed himself for long, and he definitely wouldn't be able to afford an apartment. Deciding to get things over with Naruto headed towards what he once called home.

As the house came into view, Naruto started getting an uneasy feeling in his gut. Not as bad as when he was attacked, but it was still noticeable. Walking up the front steps, Naruto, raped his knuckles across the oak door. Hearing the sound of soft footsteps, he realized it was Kushina who was going to answer.

Opening the door to see who it was, Kushina was shocked to see her eldest son standing on the front patio with an even look stuck to his face. "Sochi, what are doing out of the hospital already?" she asked, genuinely concerned about her son's well being.

"I signed myself out and came to get my stuff," Naruto answered evenly.

"Get your stuff?" Kushina asked confused. "Why would you need to get your stuff?"

"Didn't Minato tell you, I'm kicked out," Naruto replied as he walked past he and towards the steps. "The twins aren't here are they?" he asked as he stopped at the bottom step. Not getting a reply, he looked back and saw Kushina standing stock-still in the doorway. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto walked up the steps towards his old room.

Meanwhile, Kushina was standing in the doorway, shocked over what she just heard. Minato kicked Naruto out? Why would he do that? There son just got his arm removed from his body and his shinobi career was ruined before it even began.

He wouldn't just throw his son to the curb, would he?

Meanwhile, Naruto was busy sealing all his stuff into storage scrolls. His futon, pillow, blankets, books, money, and anything else of importance. Finally, taking his final scroll, he snuck into his father's office, knowing he was at a meeting and the only ANBU in the area were patrolling the perimeter of the house. Walking over to the six inch solid steel safe door locked only with a blood seal, Naruto ripped the skin from his right thumb with his teeth and wiped it over the seal. Seeing it being absorbed, and the door unlocking, Naruto mentally screamed in success as he peered into the room. Looking around, there were hundreds of scrolls on seals that Minato and Kushina made, but only two justu scrolls. Walking over, he grabbed the first one and opened it up. on the top read, Rasengan.

Placing the scroll on the floor and pulling out his extra scroll, brush, and ink cartridge, Naruto copied it down as fast as he could. Finishing fifteen minutes later, Naruto placed the scroll back where it belonged and pocketed his belonging and left, resealing the door behind him.

As Naruto left the room and headed downstairs, he heard talking in the living room. Actually, it was more like one person talking. The other was yelling.

"What do you mean you threw him out!?" Kushina yelled as loudly as she could. "He just had his arm cut off defending the twins and you want to throw him to the street!"

"I know it's not the best idea Kushi-chan, but it's better then the alternative," Minato said defensively.

"Oh yea, and what was the alternative?" Naruto asked, deciding to make himself known.

"What are you doing here?" Minato asked him. "I thought I told you not to come here."

"I came to get my stuff," Naruto said, lifting the bag up so he can see. "Now, what were you talking about abandoning me being better then the alternative?"

"Get out of my house," Minato said, trying to end the conversation.

"Fine, I rather not have the twins see us fighting anyways," Naruto said as he headed towards the door. "Oh, and by the way Minato, don't screw up with them, too," Naruto remarked as he walked out the door, his bag slung over his right shoulder. As he closed the door, he could here Kushina ripping back into Minato about abandoning Naruto.

* * *

Sitting in a park underneath the shade of a sakura tree, he watched the children running around, enjoying themselves as their parents sat nearby, watching with small smiles etched upon their faces at seeing the children enjoy themselves.

He used to be like that. Enjoying just playing around, not a care in the world. Then, he decided he would be the strongest of the strong. He decide that no one would be able to defeat him. That was his dream. Since that day, when he found his dream, he trained his absolute hardest to achieve that dream.

Then he lost.

Then he was abandoned.

Now, here he was, sitting under the shade of a sakura tree, lost in the world. Never has he been so unsure about what to do. He had always had someone to help him when he was unsure. Whether they be his parents, or friends someone was always helping him along the way. Now, his parents abandoned him and already knew his friends would try to get him to move in with them and he didn't want to intrude upon them, so it left little to non one to help.

Letting go a sigh in defeat, Naruto stood up with his bag and headed towards the Uchiha District so he could head out to get his new arm.

* * *

**And completion. Read and review my faithful readers. See you next time!**


End file.
